Toothbrushes are known. Generally a toothbrush is used to clean the teeth by removing plaque and debris from the tooth surfaces. Conventional toothbrushes include a stem for holding by a user, a flat plate-like header and bristles made of synthetic resin implanted on the header in such a manner as to be spaced apart from each other by a given distance. The bristles may be of different lengths or diameters from each other so as to enhance the contact force with the teeth according to the curved surfaces of the teeth. However, the bristles of these conventional toothbrushes are implanted erect on the flat plate-like header, and accordingly, the bristles are not elastically moved in accordance with the shape of the teeth. The resulting contact area between the bristles and the teeth is small, which in turn causes the frictional forces of the bristles against the teeth are not uniformly applied to the tooth surface decreasing the benefits of the cleaning process.
Multi-part wheeled hub designs are known but also have drawbacks. During the brushing process, dentifrice slips through the tufts of bristles and away from the contact between the bristles and the teeth. As a result, the dentifrice often is spread around the mouth greatly reducing the benefits of the cleaning process is greatly reduced.
Another drawback of a multi-part wheeled design is the need for space on the sides of the wheels to mount the hubs. The areas adjacent to the hubs must be free of bristles, as the bristle mounting would interfere with the hub function. Large areas of brush head interior that are devoid of bristles greatly reduce cleaning efficiency of conventional toothbrushes.
Moreover, most conventional toothbrushes do not clean the entire surface of the tooth, especially the buccal and lingual tooth surfaces, without manual manipulation by a user.
Therefore, what is needed is a new and improved toothbrush that addresses the deficiencies of conventional toothbrushes.